The Facts: Following up on the ongoing story. ... Manning made it clear Monday that he was finished playing football. But in case he ever changes his mind, the Broncos will retain his rights. According to the league's daily personnel notice, the Broncos technically put him on the reserve/retired list, as opposed to releasing him with a year left on his contract.

Diehards Line:As PFT's Darin Gantt explains, the only real implication is that it puts a hurdle between him and ever changing his mind about playing, if another team decided they wanted him or a quarterback was injured. The Broncos control his rights, and he’d have to clear waivers before he could be reinstated and go to another team. Again, it’s a distinction without a real difference, since there’s no indication Manning has any interest in playing. But other future Hall of Fame quarterbacks have changed their minds before, so for the Broncos, it was the only reasonable move to make.